Improvement in washing-machines



W. & A. E. ROBARTS;

Washing-Machine.

No. 199,467. Patented Jan. 22,1878;

. 9a yaw/ Nv PETER5. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFIJIER. WASHINGTONv D C.

- UNI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER ROBARTS AND ALFRED E. ROBABTS, OF eRAH-AMs Town, cArE orGOODHOPE. g

IMPROVEMENT IN WAISHINQ-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.199,467, dated January22,1878; application filed December 18, 1877; patented in England, May30, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER ROBARTS and ALFRED EDGAR ROBARTS, of GrahamsTown, Cape of Good Hope, have invented new and useful Improvements inWashing-Machines, which improvements are fully set forth in thefollowing specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention has for its object improvements in washing-machinessuitable for washing clothes and other articles.

For this purpose a rectangular tub or vat is employed to contain thesoap, water, and articles to be washed, as well as the disks or palms,as hereinafter described. Over this tub or vat a cranked axle is carriedby standards, which axle is worked or driven by a winch of anyconvenient throw or length on one side, and a fly-wheel on the other.Two cranks are formed in the axle, opposite the one to the other, andfrom each a flat wooden crank-rod descends into the tub or vat. To thelower end of each crank-rod a disk or palm is fixed, the inner surfaceof which disk or palm is concave, and is either corrugated or perforatedwith holes, or both, and the two disks or palms are connected by anetwork of netting, rope, or movable bars, the connecting net-work beingsufficiently wide to allow free motion to the disks or palms when thewinch is turned, and thus forming a flexible basket, into which theclothes and other articles to be washed are placed. An opening is leftat the top of the basket to admit of the articles being easily, put inand taken out. The crank-rods are guided by horizontal friction-rollers,between which they pass, and 1mderneath there is another horizontalroller at right angles to these, which passes through a vertical slot ineach of the rods. This roller thus forms a fulcrum about which the rodsrock, so that the disks or palms at their lower ends receive circularmotions, while they always travel in opposite directions. Thesemovements keep the water in constant agitation and the clothes inconstant rotation, in such manner that the washing is rapidly andeffectually accomplished.

I11 order that the said invention may be most fully understood andreadily carried into efiect, we will proceed to describe the drawingshereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are sectional elevations of awashing-machine constructed according to this invention.

In Fig. 1 the side of the machine is removed, and in Fig. 2 the front ais the tub, suitable for containing the water or detergent liquid forwashing. It is provided with a plug-hole, (not shown,) for drawing 0Ethe water or liquid when it is desired to empty the tub.

b b is a frame, with standards fixed to the tub, and serving to carrythe cranked axis a, which can be turned by means of the winchhandle 01.At the farther end of the axis 0 is the'fly-wheel e. Suspended from eachof the two cranks, which are opposite the one to the other, thereisaflat connecting-rod, f: The way in which it is preferred to connectthis rod with the crank is shown in detail by Fig. 3.

f f are slots formed in the connecting-rods f, and g g are rollersfitted loosely into these slots. They are mounted so as to be able toturn upon the spindles h h, fixed in the sides of the tub a. Pinsinserted into the spindles h h prevent the rollers 9 movinglongitudinally upon them.

i t are other rollers, between which the connecting-rods f pass. Theserollers are reduced in diameter at their-ends, and the necks so formedare inserted into holes in cross-bars, which form part of the frame 1).

7c is are concave disks or palms fixed to the lower ends of theconnecting-rods f f, and it is preferred that these disks or palmsshould be corrugated or perforated, so that their surfaces may have amore efiectual rubbing and squeezing action on the articles to bewashed.

1 is a net-work connecting the disks or palms k, and forming a flexiblebasket, open at the top to receive the clothes or articles to be washed.

Having thus described the nature of our said invention, and the mannerof performing the same, we would have it understood that we claim- 1.The flexible basket for containing the clothes or other articles to bewashed, such 3. The combination, forming a washing-machine, of a tub forcontaining the water or liquid for washing, a flexible basket, andapparatus for giving a continually-varyin g form to the said basket,substantially as described.

WALTER ROBARTS. ALFRED EDGAR ROBARTS.

Witnesses:

W. H. BELL, J. N. COGHLAN.

